Secretary (OA)
What you'd do
This position serves as the Executive Secretary to the Associate Director for Patient Care Services (ADPCS) and reports to the Health System Specialist for the ADPCS. The Executive Secretary performs as the principal office assistant and is a key driver in carrying out the mission of Veterans Affairs and Tennessee Valley Healthcare System (TVHS).
Major duties
The core duties of this position include but are not limited to: Maintains appointments/calendar/schedule. Makes travel arrangements including itinerary, lodging, and transportation. Prepares correspondence to local and national (Congressional) inquiries in proper format for final signature. Obtains and monitors use of services, supplies, or equipment. Assists in the coordination and preparation of the service organization chart, annual budget, and annual nursing service report. Collaborates with other services to resolve patient care issues that cross over service lines. Monitors service performance measures. Serves on committees and task groups as requested. Maintains liaison and communication with persons and groups from within and outside TVHS, speaking for principal and administrative issues. Processes incoming/outgoing reports, memorandums, and other forms of communication. Facilitates and assists in the coordination of space needs to facilitate management and the space committee. Assists in evaluation of planning activities of service in relation to VHA policies, plans, and objectives. Ensures accurate identification, reporting, trending, and education to provide efficient operations and protection of resources. Coordinates activities involved in administrative investigations, root cause analysis for service reporting to the ADPCS. Facilitates development of indicators/processes that promote effective monitoring and evaluation of patient outcomes & org. performance. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday | Based on the needs of the service Telework: Ad Hoc Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Secretary (OA)/PD703280 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized
What you need to qualify
To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 08/03/2026. TIME-IN-GRADE REQUIREMENT: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-8 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-7. The grade may have been in any occupation, but must have been held in the Federal service. An SF-50 that shows your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you possess one-year time-in-grade, as required by the announcement. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade. Note: Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal employees applying for reinstatement as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment. You may qualify based on your experience as described below. SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-7 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience is defined as: Providing support functions to leadership/management. Processing correspondence, memorandums, suspenses, and other forms of written communication to ensure appropriate and timely routing and grammatical correctness. Maintaining appointments and calendars, to include resolution of calendar conflicts, scheduling appointments and coordinating meetings as requested. Scheduling all travel arrangements. Coordinating purchase of office supplies and equipment to meet the organization's needs. PREFERRED EXPERIENCE: Advanced proficiency in the Microsoft Office Suite (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams). Demonstrated ability to manage complex calendars, coordinate meetings, and arrange travel logistics. Experience preparing written publications, drafting memos, and recording meeting minutes. For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/.
Before you apply
Federal applications are different: your resume should be 3–5 pages and mirror the language of this announcement. Read our federal resume guide first — it's the #1 reason qualified people get screened out.
Don't miss the next one.
Get an email the moment a similar federal job opens — postings can close in as little as 5 days.